fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. Peregrine first appeared in ''Contest of Champions'' #1 and was created by
Mark Gruenwald
Mark Eugene Gruenwald (; June 18, 1953 – August 12, 1996) was an American comic book writer, editor, and occasional penciler known for his long association with Marvel Comics.
Biography
Early career
Gruenwald got his start in comics fa ...
,
Bill Mantlo
William Timothy Mantlo (born November 9, 1951) is an American comic book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics. He is best known for his work on two licensed toy properties whose adventures occurred in the Marvel Universe: ''Micronauts'' and ''Ro ...
,
Steven Grant
Steven Grant (born October 22, 1953) is an American comic book writer best known for his 1985–1986 Marvel Comics mini-series ''The Punisher'' with artist Mike Zeck and for his creator-owned character Whisper.
Biography
Comic books
Grant has ...
,
John Romita Jr.
John Salvatore Romita (; born August 17, 1956), known professionally as John Romita Jr., is an American comics artist best known for his extensive work for Marvel Comics from the 1970s to the 2010s. He is the son of artist John Romita Sr.
Early ...
, and
Pablo Marcos
Pablo Marcos Ortega, known professionally as Pablo Marcos at the
Atriplex suberecta
''Atriplex suberecta'' is a species of saltbush known by the common names sprawling saltbush, lagoon saltbush and (in Britain and Ireland) Australian orache. It is native to Australia.
Distribution
It can be found on other continents as an intro ...
'' and not any species of birds); in French translations of comics featuring the character, his name was changed to "''Le Faucon Pèlerin''", meaning "The
Peregrine Falcon
The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (Bird of prey, raptor) in the family (biology), family Falco ...
". ''Faucon-pérégrin'' does exist in French as an alternate name for the bird, but is now infrequently used. Adding "Le" in front of Peregrine does not make it French as Peregrine is not a French word. The proper use should either be "The Peregrine" or "Le Pèlerin".
Fictional character biography
Alain Racine was born in Moulins, France. He is a writer by profession, but is a superhero, adventurer, and mercenary, using a falcon-like costume with artificial wings giving him the ability to fly.
Peregrine was first seen in the Grandmaster's Contest of Champions against
Death
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
for the life of the Collector. He was chosen to compete on the Grandmaster's side, in the illustrious company of other heroes such as
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
,
Captain Britain
Captain Britain is a title used by various superheroes in comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with Excalibur. The moniker was first used in publication by Brian Braddock in ''Captain Britain Weekly'' #1 by writer Ch ...
,
Wolverine
The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for "gluttony, glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is ...
She-Hulk
She-Hulk (Jennifer "Jen" Walters) is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in ''The Savage She-Hulk'' #1 (cov ...
, and the
Thing
Thing or The Thing may refer to:
Philosophy
* An object
* Broadly, an entity
* Thing-in-itself (or ''noumenon''), the reality that underlies perceptions, a term coined by Immanuel Kant
* Thing theory, a branch of critical theory that focuses ...
. He was pitted against another winged opponent, the
Angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
, but the Angel's greater experience gave him the edge to defeat Le Peregrine.
Later, back on Earth, Peregrine encountered
Silver Sable
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical cond ...
, who invited him to become her freelance operative in France. He assisted the archer Hawkeye in destroying a nuclear warhead generator stolen by the
Red Skull
The Red Skull is an alias used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and its predecessor Timely Comics. The first version, George Maxon, appeared in ''Captain America Comics'' #1 and #4. The main ...
, and freeing the
Sandman
The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes.
Representation in traditional folklore
The Sandman is a traditional charact ...
—another of Silver Sable's operatives — in the process. He accepted an assignment from Silver Sable International to disable a surveillance station in the Persian Gulf. He maneuvered the American navy into destroying the station, and blew up a Stane International tanker. Later, Peregrine was compelled by Brain Drain's psionic powers to battle
Sasquatch
Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including Anecdotal evidence, ...
, but was defeated by Sasquatch.
During the superhero Civil War, Peregrine was protecting France's borders from refugee U.S. superhumans fleeing the
Superhuman Registration Act
Discrimination against superheroes is a common theme and plot element comic books and superhero fiction, usually as a way to explore the issue of superheroes operating in society or as commentary on other social concerns. Often in response to ...
. Likewise, he is seen protecting France alongside
Micromax
Micromax (Scott Wright) is a fictional character, a mutant superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
Micromax was created by Alan Davis and first appeared in ''Excalibur'' #44 (Dec. 1991).
Fi ...
from Kang's armies during the Kang War.
During the '' Fear Itself'' storyline, Peregrine flies Black Widow into France when she is sent there on a mission by Captain Steve Rogers. When Black Widow uncovers civilians taken hostage by Rapido in a cathedral, she has Peregrine help free them while she deals with Rapido.
During the '' Secret Empire'' storyline, Peregrine appears as a member of the Champions of Europe alongside
Ares
Ares (; grc, Ἄρης, ''Árēs'' ) is the Greek god of war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for success in war b ...
,
Captain Britain
Captain Britain is a title used by various superheroes in comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with Excalibur. The moniker was first used in publication by Brian Braddock in ''Captain Britain Weekly'' #1 by writer Ch ...
,
Excalibur
Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...
,
Guillotine
A guillotine is an apparatus designed for efficiently carrying out executions by beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secured with stocks at th ...
, and
Outlaw
An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...
. With help from
Squirrel Girl
Squirrel Girl (Doreen Allene Green) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Will Murray and writer/artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' vol. 2 #8, a.k.a. ''Mar ...
and
Enigma
Enigma may refer to:
*Riddle, someone or something that is mysterious or puzzling
Biology
*ENIGMA, a class of gene in the LIM domain
Computing and technology
* Enigma (company), a New York-based data-technology startup
* Enigma machine, a family ...
, the Champions of Europe manage to liberate
Paris, France
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
from Hydra forces.''U.S.Avengers'' #8-9
Powers and abilities
Peregrine is an athletic man with a gifted intelligence but possesses no superhuman powers. He is a talented writer, and a master of
savate
Savate (), also known as boxe française, savate boxing, French boxing or French footfighting, is a French kickboxing combat sport that uses the hands and feet as weapons combining elements of English boxing with graceful kicking techniques.
...
(French kick-boxing).
Peregrine wears a suit of synthetic stretch fabric that incorporates an anti-gravity generator system which emits and controls anti-gravitons, enabling him to counteract gravitational attraction. He wears glider-wings that contain small hydrazine and nitrous oxide-fueled jet turbines that afford propulsion. Using all this equipment allows Peregrine to fly with a range of about before exhausting his fuel supply. He wears goggles to protect his eyes while in flight, and carries radar detection devices.
While working as part of the Wild Pack, Silver Sable International supplied Peregrine with special weaponry including ammonium bromide gas grenades (to induce unconsciousness), napalm bolas, taser darts, thermite grenades, and an electromagnetic scrambler.